Mind the mercury

Why no one is checking how mercury-laden CFLs are handled and discarded

In court

Caution over cleanup of Nura river

Science and Technology - Briefs

Not so fair: Gabon, Jamaica & Sri Lanka launch $14-mn project to eliminate mercury use in skin-lighteners

Mercury can endanger the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys and may be fatal

‘The regulator should monitor mercury in the air in Kodaikanal’

We still do not know how far the atmospheric mercury levels have come down in the last two decades, Ameer Shahul tells Down To Earth as he …

Mercury from the northern hemisphere is ending up in Australia

The amount of mercury jumps up sharply at the start of dry season when winds shift from blowing over the ocean to blowing over the land

Presence of mercury in birds near thermal power plants in Maharashtra paves way for modern analysis

Fly ash generated by TPPs is one of the ways mercury is released into the environment. Fly ash is usually disposed in ash ponds in the form of …

Book excerpt: The poisoning of Kodai

Former AFP journalist Ameer Shahul's new book, ‘Heavy Metal: How a Global Corporation Poisoned Kodaikanal’ is based on his reportage …

Curiously high levels of mercury found in rivers linked to Greenland Ice Sheet

The findings shine a new light on our understanding of mercury management and the impact of global warming 

One-third power plants follow new, strict mercury emission standards in US

The court is yet to give a final verdict on the new standards, after state governments and industries contested them

Piscivores could have more mercury in their system: study

Conducted by IIT-Hyderabad, the research found that frequent fish eaters, those living in the vicinity of coal-fired power plants and gold …

Zimbabwe’s gold rush leaves small-scale miners vulnerable to mercury poisoning

The highly toxic substance used to extract gold from ore leads to a number of complications

‘Rising mercury is making Nepal glaciers vulnerable’

Changing nature of glaciers and glacial lakes make the Himalayas one of the most climate vulnerable regions on the planet. Rijan Bhakta Kayastha, …

Mercury rising in the Arctic; scientists discover over 1.6 million tonnes in reserves

Scientists discover 793,000 tonnes of mercury in frozen permafrost soils and another 863,000 tonnes in unfrozen soils in the northern permafrost …

Mercury pollution: Parties to Minamata Convention discuss non-binding declaration but can it help

United Nations, Indonesia call for support from parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury

We created a new material from orange peel that can clean up mercury pollution: researchers

When researchers combined two industrial waste products, they created a material that could clean up mercury

Over 140 nations adopt Minamata Convention to phase out mercury

Agreement has weak controls on mercury emissions from major sources like coal-fired power plants

Molting seals add mercury to seawater, reveals study

Mercury, the most toxic metal, is easily absorbed and accumulated in marine organisms 

How smartphones are killing the planet

The energy used to build a single smartphone is equal to the energy required to operate it for about a decade

Fog can be deadly, says study

Fog water contains 20 times more monomethylmercury, the most neuro-toxic form of mercury, than rain water

Amount of mercury in environment grossly underestimated

Quantity released in the environment since 1850 is over twice more than previously estimated, says a study

American thermal power plants under mercury regulation

US Environmental Protection Agency's mercury and air toxics standards will be effective from December 2014

Toxic heavy metals found in indigenous people living near oil fields of Peruvian Amazon: Study

High levels of mercury, cadmium & arsenic were found in the urine samples of people living river basins of Corrientes, Pastaza, Tigre & …

Vietnam just recorded its highest-ever temperature

Not only Vietnam, but the entire world is experiencing this sudden rise in temperatures